medicinal

it’s happened to scores of other people, who pass the test for the anti-gliadin antibodies but still know that their health issues directly correlate with what they eat.

Now we may know why. The tests were right. I’m not gluten intolerant. I’m poison intolerant.

I read a mind-blowing article last night in the Healthy Home Economist that put it all together for me.

“Standard wheat harvest protocol in the United States is to drench the wheat fields with Roundup several days before the combine harvesters work through the fields as withered, dead wheat plants are less taxing on the farm equipment and allows for an earlier, easier and bigger harvest.”

Pre-harvest application of the herbicide Roundup and other herbicides containing the deadly active ingredient glyphosate to wheat and barley as a desiccant was suggested as early as 1980. It has since become routine over the past 15 years and is used as a drying agent 7-10 days before harvest within the conventional farming community.

According to Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT who has studied the issue in depth and who I recently saw present on the subject at a nutritional Conference in Indianapolis, desiccating non-organic wheat crops with glyphosate just before harvest came into vogue late in the 1990′s with the result that most of the non-organic wheat in the United States is now contaminated with it. Seneff explains that when you expose wheat to a toxic chemical like glyphosate, it actually releases more seeds resulting in a slightly greater yield: “It ‘goes to seed’ as it dies. At its last gasp, it releases the seed.”

According to the US Department of Agriculture, as of 2012, 99% of durum wheat, 97% of spring wheat, and 61% of winter wheat has been doused with Roundup as part of the harvesting process. This is an increase from 88% for durum wheat, 91% for spring wheat and 47% for winter wheat since 1998. (source)

How horrifying is it that they douse this stuff for human consumption with the most toxic, prevalent herbicide around, an herbicide which has been linked to all sorts of problems, just days before the harvest? That stuff doesn’t get removed – it gets milled in with the wheat and lurks in your bags of flour, your loaves of bread, and your desserts.

This could also explain why some people who have terrible gluten symptoms are able to eat products made from organic Einkorn wheat. It may not be that it’s heirloom Einkorn – it could just be that it hasn’t been doused in glyphosate.

Modern farming practices are killing us. Here’s a little rundown on glyphosate:

The first study found that glyphosate increases the breast cancer cell proliferation in the parts-per-trillion range.

An alarming new study, accepted for publication in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology last month, indicates that glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide due to its widespread use in genetically engineered agriculture, is capable of driving estrogen receptor mediated breast cancer cell proliferation within the infinitesimal parts per trillion concentration range.

Another study found that consumption of glyphosate causes intestinal and gut damage, which opens the door to numerous human diseases, such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease, obesity, autism, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

However, another classification of allergy-type food is emerging and getting recognized for adverse effects on the human intestinal tract and gut. Those foods are genetically modified organisms known as GMOs or GEs.

There is scientific research indicating intestinal damage from GMO food and the article “Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Disease” discusses how the inordinate amount of pesticides sprayed on GMOs leaves residues in GMO crops that, in turn, are being traced to modern diseases.

The Organic Consumers Association says:

“Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world. According to the EPA, at least 208 million tons of Roundup were sprayed on GE crops, lawns and roadsides in the years 2006 and 2007. In 2007, as much as 185 million pounds of glyphosate was used by U.S. farmers, double the amount used just six years ago”

A 2009 study found that Americans use about 100 million pounds of glyphosate annually on their lawns and gardens. It’s safe to assume all these number are much higher now. Why? Because GE crops are now being invaded by new strains of herbicide-resistant “superweeds” requiring higher and higher doses of poison.

Glyphosate also endangers the environment, destroys soil and plants, and is linked to a host of health hazards. The EPA’s decision to increase the allowed residue limits of glyphosate is out of date, dangerous to the health of people and the environment and scientifically unsupportable. (source)

Nearly all of the symptoms we chalk up to gluten intolerance can also be related to glyphosate exposure.

This horrific little farming shortcut may have created an epidemic across the country.

Just last week I picked up a loaf of organic sourdough bread to serve with some beef stew. I was hesitant but astonished when I didn’t suffer abdominal pain, bloating, and digestive upset. I thought, “Yay! I ate bread and didn’t die!”

Sarah’s article blew my mind, because when I read it, all of the inconsistencies with my own gluten issues began to make sense. It explains why I can eat the fancy Italian pasta that a friend sent as a gift. It explains why the odd baked good from the organic bakery doesn’t make me sick. It explains the blood test that says I don’t have a problem with gluten, even though my gut says that I do have a problem.

It’s time to say no to Big Food. Vote with your wallet and forgo eating anything containing poisoned wheat. Either skip the wheat products entirely or choose organic wheat products.

Perhaps our family diet can get a little bit broader now. It would be far less expensive to buy a bag of organic flour than the gluten free flour that we use for baking, pancakes and thickening stuff.

Maybe the bloodwork was right. Maybe we aren’t actually gluten intolerant at all.

Maybe we are just poison intolerant.

This article is by Daisy Luther from TheOrganicPrepper. Please check the website out–it’s great and you should honor Daisy Luther’s guidelines for republishing.

Daisy Luther lives in a small village in the Pacific Northwestern area of the United States. She is the author of The Organic Canner and The Pantry Primer: How to Build a One Year Food Supply in Three Months. On her website, The Organic Prepper, Daisy uses her background in alternative journalism to provide a unique perspective on health and preparedness, and offers a path of rational anarchy against a system that will leave us broke, unhealthy, and enslaved if we comply. Daisy’s articles are widely republished throughout alternative media. You can follow her on Facebook and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca

3 Simple Steps to Decrystallize Honey

3 Simple Steps to Decrystallize Honey

Have you ever reached into your cupboard, ready to enjoy some natural golden sweetness, and discovered your honey has crystallized? Don’t panic. And don’t throw it out. Understand exactly what crystallization – also called granulation – is and follow these three simple steps to decrystallize your beloved sweet and make it liquid again.

How to Decrystallize HoneyStep 1Place your bottle of honey with its lid off inside a pot. Pour warm water (to preserve honey’s health properties, water should not exceed 110º F) into the pan and allow to sit until the honey melts.

Step 2In five-minute intervals remove your bottle from the pan, stir the honey and return it to the warm water. Continue this process until the honey has returned to its liquid consistency state.

Step 3After your honey has returned to its normal consistency, remove the bottle from the pan and allow your honey to cool. Tightly seal the bottle and store at cool to room temperature.

*To prevent loss of honey’s health properties, water should not reach above 110F.

What is crystallized honey?Crystallization does not mean your honey has gone bad. In fact, it’s honey’s natural process of preserving itself, often occurring after three to six months of storage. Do not throw it out! We repeat, do not throw it out! Crystallized honey is still edible. Some even enjoy its grainy consistency as a spread on toast or as a cooking ingredient.

Many factors contribute to honey crystallization. The main reason is its ingredient composition. Honey is a highly concentrated solution of two sugars: glucose and fructose. Typically, honey contains 70 percent carbohydrates and less than 20 percent water. Since this is unbalanced, the glucose separates from the water forming the crystallized appearance.

Besides its ingredient composition, what are other factors that contribute to crystallization?

The percentage of glucose vs. fructose in the honey. If there’s a higher percentage of glucose in the honey composition, the rate of crystallization may speed up.

The temperature where the honey is stored. If honey is stored in too cold an environment the speed of crystallization can increase, including when it’s in the honeycomb. So if your honey is hiding out in your fridge, you may want to place it in your pantry.

The amount of pollen in the honey. Whether your honey is raw, semi-processed or processed will determine how fast it crystallizes, and how much pollen it contains. Pollen in honey is normal, and verifies what plants the bees were feeding on. Raw honey contains more pollen grains than processed honey and therefore it can crystallize faster.

It call comes down to pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth and placing the thumb in between your eyebrows.

You need to pressure the area you are holding with your thumb for 20 seconds. The first results come almost immediately, followed by sinus drainage.

Step-by-step method

The nasal cavity holds a bone, also known as the Vomer bone, which is placed vertically in the cavity. Lisa De Stefano, D.O., an assistant professor at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, assures us that this method is very successful because it allows the Vomer bone to move back and forth.

This ultimately treats congestion and empties the sinuses by draining.

The ingredient that can also help you to kill sinus infection is apple cider vinegar and 100% Raw local Honey

The marvels that apple cider vinegar brings just can’t stop rising.

Its benefits are widely appreciated by the world’s population, and in this article we present how this magical liquid can cure your sinus infection in no time!

Viruses are usually responsible for causing sinus infection, and those viruses tend to stick inside the organism even after the lungs are cleared.

Basically, the sinuses lining becomes inflamed, and this occurrence leads to chronic headaches, discomfort and pain. In some cases, a fever could happen as well.

There are numerous medications available, promising to cure sinus infection rapidly, but nothing works quite as effective as the good old apple cider vinegar.

As common as it may be, apple cider vinegar is not to be underappreciated. It can easily reduce sinus pain and brings the sinus tissue to a healthy state.

Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber, the ACV will cease any sickness symptoms and if consumed raw and unfiltered, will provide the greatest health benefits for your body.

Aside from this, your immune system will hugely benefit from consuming apple cider vinegar- and here is how to do it:

Ingredients

1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 lemon, juiced

Preparation

First boil water and then combine it with apple cider vinegar in a glass. Throw in honey, cayenne pepper and stir well. Finally, add lemon juice. Consume remedy until you feel sinus pain relief.

Apparently, those pesky yellow weeds in the garden can provide numerous benefits you have never been aware of. Dandelion has been used throughout the history in the treatments of numerous health issues, such as kidney disease, liver issues, appendicitis, and heartburn.

Every single part of the dandelion, from the roots to the blossoms is edible, and it is high in minerals, like zinc, iron and potassium, and vitamins D, C, A, and B. Moreover, its consumption provides numerous benefits, such as:

according to research, dandelion extract strengthens the immune function and fights off microbes.

its leaves contain even more beta carotene than carrots, so they boost eye health.

high in antioxidants, which prevents cancer, premature aging, and other illnesses due to oxidative stress.

It also promotes digestion, as found at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Its root can act as a mild laxative, and fresh or dried dandelion boost the appetite and settle the stomach.

It acts as a diuretic and thus helps the function of the kidneys to eliminate excess water, salt, and waste by increasing the production of urine. This may be the explanation of the popular claims among children that in case you pick this flower, you will wet the bed!

prevent cognitive decline and strengthens the bones- The dandelion greens provide 535% of the recommended daily value of vitamin K

according to a study conducted in 2011, the tea of its root may induce leukemia cells to die, but it does not affect the healthy cells.

These are 24 amazing uses of this plant:

Health and Beauty

This plant is effective in the treatment of minor skin issues, and it soothes inflammation and pain. Pain Relieving Oil

Dandelion efficiently alleviates joint pain and aching muscles. You should infuse dandelion flowers in an oil and rub onto the painful joints and muscles or painful areas. You should put fresh dandelion leaves in a mason jar and pour some base oil, such as olive or sweet almond oil to the top of the jar. Leave it for 14 days to infuse and then strain it. Decant the oil into a sterilized jar and keep it in the fridge.

Pain Relieving Salve

You can pour the infused oil into a soothing balm. You can also mix the infused oil with some beeswax, pout their combination into a jar or a tin and leave it to cool.

Wart Remover

This plant can effectively remove warts as its stems, roots and leaves contain a white sticky resin. This sap should be applied on the warts several times a day and they will soon be eliminated.

Lotion Bars

This lotion will help you in the case of dry and cracked skin as it will moisturize it and soothe inflammation. You should mix some infused dandelion oil with beeswax, lavender essential oil, and shea butter and create a silky bar.

In the Kitchen

Dandelion is completely edible so you can use it in various ways in the kitchen.

Herbal Vinegar

This herbal vinegar can be added to your stews, soups, salads, and dressings, or sauces. You can simply drink it as a revitalizing tonic. You should infuse its flowers in apple cider vinegar for a month, then strain it. Keep it in a dark place for up to a year.

Dandelion Pumpkin Seed Pesto

This recipe can be used as a veggie dip, simple pasta, or sandwich spread. As its greens have a slight bite, you should balance it with some lemon juice, toasted pumpkin seeds, and parmesan.

Tempura Blossoms

Remove the green parts, dip the flowers in seasoned butter and fry them to create a delicious snack or side dish.

Sautéed Greens and Garlic

As dandelion is rich in minerals and vitamins, you can sauté it with garlic (or ginger or capers) in order to add flavor to its bitter taste. You should blanch them by immersing them in boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds in order to alleviate its acrid taste.

Vegetarian Risotto

Cook the flowers, and add wine, stock, parmesan and creamy yogurt in order to prepare a jewel-like vegetarian risotto.

Pancake and Waffle Syrup

You should mix lemon, honey or sugar and dandelions in order to create a delicious waffle or pancake syrup.

Kimchi

Replace cabbage with dandelion in order to prepare the traditional spicy and sour Korean kimchi. Ferment the greens with spices, soy sauce, green onions, and herbs in order to prepare a tasty kimchi that will promote gut health.

Jelly

The dandelion jelly can be added on top of toast, or crumpets. The prepared jelly can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Make soaked savory muffins with dandelion petals, honey, flour, whole wheat flour, and oatmeal, and serve them with asparagus or green pea.

Cookies

You can prepare cookies from dandelion, lemon, honey, and oats.

Iced Lime and Dandelion Tea

A pretty iced lime and dandelion tea is extremely delicious, and it will eliminate all skin issues. You should blend fresh lime juice, stevia leaves, dried red raspberry leaf and a quart of dandelion flowers.

You can prepare a Danish schnapps with the flower heads, which will be remarkable when combined with cakes, sweet desserts, and chocolate, You can also brew dandelion roots in order to prepare a dry and aromatic beverage. You can serve it with some robust flavors, like roast meat.

Dandelion Root Coffee

Brew the dandelion roots to get a caffeine-free alternative to coffee. In order to obtain a deep flavor, roast them before grinding.

Wine

These pesky weeds can make a fine country wine and rich. Ferment complete flowers with lemon zest, water, and raisins for a couple of months.

Home and Garden

Dandelion can be widely used in the garden and in the house.

Natural Yellow Dye

You should cook the heads of dandelion in order to make a chemical-based dye – which can contribute to water pollution. It can be used on any garment in order to brighten fabrics, but it is especially useful for the ones who weave their own wool.

Floating Table Centerpiece

Use reclaimed wood and small nails, assemble a box of wood, hammer small finishing nails through the underside, and you should slide the dandelions on the top.

Bee food

Dandelions are the first food of the season for the bees, so make sure you leave some for them to enjoy them during the spring.

Feed Goats

Goats need a diverse, vegetarian diet, so dandelion weeds can serve as a balanced portion.

Fertilizer

You will provide numerous nutrients to the garden if you prepare a liquid fertilizer, or ‘weed tea’. You should simply deep rooted dandelions, but since the seeds are still viable, you should brew up an organic fertilizer and spray or pour it onto your flower beds and vegetable gardens.

Driving through the countryside the Dandelion, an iconic wild Spring flower, decorates every hedgerow and road verge. This bright little flower has its own beauty, it’s not dainty or exquisite, but it possesses a cherry vigour.

Many people go to great lengths to rid their lawn of this plant, please learn to tolerate them, and resist mowing or killing them. They are a vital source of Spring nectar for our bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects and their seeds attract many of our wild birds.

So, sit back, and allow your lawn to take on its own wild beauty by encouraging a variety of wildlife. Once this cheery little plant has set her seeds to the wind, you can get the mower out.
PLEASE be a Dandelion lover and share this post far and wide!

Pollinating bees help to keep home food prices relatively low and could be worth more than €7 m a year to the apple crop in the North

Allowing weeds to grow and flower in our lawns is one of the recommended ways to save bees from extinction and to help prevent starvation.

With one third of our 98 species of native bees facing wipe-out, an All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has been devised to encourage gardeners, farmers, schools and councils to create havens and resources for the island’s threatened species.

Evidence from the United States has shown that dandelions and white clover on lawns can support 37 different species of bees.

In the study, white clover was important for honeybees and bumblebees whereas solitary bees, honeybees and hoverflies predominated on dandelion.

However, if you cannot stomach having your whole lawn covered in dandelion, (which is an excellent accompaniment in salads), the Pollinator Plan encourages us to leave small areas of the lawn uncut to allow flowering weeds to blossom and provide food for bees.

We can also grow more flowers, shrubs and trees that provide nectar and pollen for pollinators.

The advice is to make sure that your garden has at least one flowering food source from spring right through to winter like willow (early spring and currently blossoming), dandelion shortly after, clovers (early summer), lavender (late summer), ivy (autumn) and mahonia (winter).

Most bees prefer plants which have flowers at the blue, purple and pink end of the colour spectrum.

Dr Una FitzPatrick, from the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Waterford IT, said the problem is serious and requires immediate attention to ensure the sustainability of our food production and to protect the health of our environment.

The rescue plan, which has over 25 recommendations, will be a success if bee populations enjoy a revival within the next five years.

“We spent 40 years creating the problem so we are not going to solve it overnight,” she said.

Pollination itself is the transfer of pollen grains, the male sex cells of a flower, from the anther where they are produced to the receptive surface of the female organ of a flower. either on the same flower or another one. Bees are good pollinators for many reasons.

Their hairy bodies trap pollen and they spit on their front legs and then brush the pollen into a sticky ball that they store on their back legs in pollen baskets which they carry between flowers and eventually back to the hive to help feed the young.

The bees require large quantities of nectar and pollen to rear their young, and they visit flowers regularly in large numbers to obtain these foods.

In doing so, they concentrate on one species of plant at a time and serve as good pollinators for this reason.

Their body size enables them to pollinate flowers of many different shapes and sizes.

Honey bees are most active at temperatures between 14 degrees C and 35 degrees C.

Winds reduce their activity and stop it completely at about 25 miles per hour.

When conditions for flight are not ideal, honey bees work close to their colonies or don’t work at all.

Although they may fly as far as 7km in search of food, they usually go no farther than 1.5 to 2km in good weather.

In unfavourable weather, bees may visit only those plants nearest the hive. They also tend to work closer to the hive in areas where there are large numbers of attractive plants in bloom. A honeybee will make about 12 pollen collecting flights a day in peak season.

One third of our bee species, including the honeybee, 20 bumblebees and 77 solitary bees are threatened with extinction and the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is trying to reverse this trend.

Besides preserving threatened species, the economic value of bee pollination is also a huge incentive.

Pollinating bees help to keep homegrown food prices relatively low and could be worth more than €7 million a year to the apple crop in Northern Ireland, and €3.9m for oilseed rape in the Republic.

Méabh Boylan, An Taisce’s green-schools biodiversity officer, said: “The importance of pollinators to humans cannot be overstated as pollinators are responsible for making approximately one in every three spoonfuls of food that we eat.”

In the pollinator plan, national transport chiefs have also agreed to reduce roadside mowing on main roads and to open south-facing railway embankments for bee nests in further attempts to create bee highways along road networks and railway lines.

This bee highway scheme makes the Republic and Northern Ireland one of the first regions in Europe to adopt such a wide-ranging plan and it mimics similar ideas being tested in Norway and in parts of Britain.

Farmers are also encouraged to maintain flowering hedgerows that contain hazel, willow, blackthorn and hawthorn. Bramble is an excellent source of food in the summer so cutting of hedgerows should be every three years or cut only a third every year.

The base of hedgerows shouldn’t be sprayed. By cutting field margins and buffer strips only once or twice in a season and preferably before April and then in early September gives wildflowers a chance to set seed and retains late forage sources for the pollinators.

Dr Jane Stout, associate professor in botany at Trinity College Dublin, has said: “If we want pollinators to be available to pollinate our crops and wild plants for future generations, we need to manage the landscape in a more sustainable way and create a joined-up network of diverse and flower-rich habitats as well as reduce our use of chemical insecticides.

“And this doesn’t just mean in the countryside, but in our towns and villages as well.”

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan can be downloaded from the Biodiversity Ireland website and a very interesting children’s version is also downloadable.

For those interested in beekeeping or the plight of Irish bees, log onto the website of the Irish Honey Bee Society to find out about meetings and membership.

IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW DO BEES PRODUCE HONEY UNTIL NOW AFTER READING OF THIS TEXT YOU WILL KNOW VERY WELL THE WHOLE PROCESS…

The western, or European honeybee, pollinates three fourths of the fruits, veggies and nuts that we eat. We’d be in trouble without them. Of course, there’s a reason we don’t call them zucchini bees, almond bees, or apple bees. They also give us honey. One healthy hive will make and consume more than 50 kg of honey in a single year, and that takes a lot of work.

Honey is made from nectar, but it doesn’t come out of flowers as that golden, sticky stuff. After finding a suitable food source, bees dive in head first, using their long, specially adapted tongues to slurp tiny sips of nectar into one of two stomachs. A single bee might have to drink from more than a thousand flowers to fill its honey stomach, which can weigh as much as the bee itself when full of nectar. On the way back to the hive, digestive enzymes are already working to turn that nectar into sweet gold. When she returns to the hive, the forager bee will vomit the nectar into the mouth of another worker. That bee will pass it into another bee’s mouth, and so on.

This game of regurgitation telephone is an important part of the honey making process, since each bee adds more digestive enzymes to turn long chains of complex sugars in the raw nectar into simple monosaccharides like fructose and glucose. At this point, the nectar is still pretty watery, so the bees beat their wings and create an air current inside the hive to evaporate and thicken the nectar, finally capping the cell with beeswax so the enzyme rich bee barf can complete its transformation into honey. Because of its low water content and acidic pH, honey isn’t a very inciting place for bacteria or yeast spoilage, and it has an incredibly long shelf life in the hive or in your pantry. Honey has been found in Egyptian tombs dating back thousands of years, pretty much unspoiled.

For one pound of honey, tens of thousands of foraging bees will together fly more than three times around the world and visit up to 8 million flowers. That takes teamwork and organization, and although they can’t talk they do communicate… with body language. Foragers dance to tell other bees where to find food. A circle dance means flowers are pretty close to the hive, but for food that’s farther away, they get their waggle on. The waggle dance of the honey bee was first decoded by Karl Von Frisch, and it’s definitely one of the coolest examples of animal communication in nature. First the bee walks in a straight line, wagging its body back and forth and vibrating its wings, before repeating in a figure eight. Whatever angle the bee walks while waggling tells the other bees what direction to go. Straight up the line of honeycombs, then the food is in the direction of the sun. If the dance is pointed to the left or right, the other bees know to fly in that angle relative to the sun. The longer the waggle, the farther away the food is, and the food is better, the more excited the bee shakes its body.

If that’s not amazing enough, even if they can’t see the sun itself, they can infer where it is and the time of day by reading the polarization of light in the blue sky. A single bee is a pretty simple creature, but together they create highly complex and social societies. There’s three main classes in a beehive: drones, workers and queens. When a new queen is born, she immediately runs around and kills her sisters, because there can be only one. During mating season, she’ll fly to a distant hive to mate with several males and store away the sperm, which she’ll use back at her home hive to lay more than a thousand eggs a day throughout the rest of her life. Any unfertilized eggs, those that don’t join up with sperm, will mature into male drones, which means they only have one set of chromosomes. But fertilized eggs are all genetically female, destined t become either queens or workers. Queens do the egglaying of course, but worker bees are the backbone of the beehive.

So what makes most females become workers, while just one wears the hive crown? A baby bee’s diet activate genetic programming that shifts its entire destiny. Every bee larva is initially fed a nutrient rich food called royal jelly, but after a few days, worker bee babies are switched to a mixture of pollen and honey called “bee bread”. But queens eat royal jelly their whole life, even as adults. Scientists used to think it was just royal jelly that put queens on the throne, but just last year they discovered one chemical in bee bread, the food that queens don’t get, that keeps worker bees sterile. Being a queen seems to be as much about what bees don’t eat as what they do. Making honey is insect farming on its grandest scale, with intricate societies cooperating to make a food fit for bear tummies bid and small… with the pleasant side effect of pollinating most of the world’s flowering plants.

30 Beautiful Plants to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

For many people, watching butterflies flit around the garden can be an exciting or very relaxing part of spring and summer. Here are a handful of plants that are easy to grow which will draw these majestic insects to your garden.

1. The Butterfly Bush

There are somewhere around 100 species of Buddleja, commonly referred to as the butterfly bush. The colorful flowers ranging from white to pink, orange and purple attract an assortment of butterflies including commas, mourning cloaks, sulphurs, monarchs, and several species of swallowtail.

2. Milkweed

For those wanting to attract monarch butterflies to their garden, nothing does the trick like planting milkweed, the host food plant for monarch caterpillars. Milkweed also attracts the viceroy, Baltimore checkerspot, mourning cloak, queen, great spangled fritillary, zabulon skipper, and question mark butterflies.

7. Verbena

Sulphurs and zebra longwings will be drawn to the nectar of most species of verbena.

8. Queen Anne’s Lace

Another beautiful and easy to grow flowering herb, Queen Anne’s lace is a host food for the anise swallowtail.

9. Daisy

Most varieties of daisy are favorite nectaring flowers for mourning cloak and queen butterflies. Daisies are also a host food for painted lady caterpillars.

10. Hollyhock

Alcea, commonly known as hollyhock are a host food for the larva of painted lady, checkered skipper, and gray hairstreak larva.

11. Goldenrod

Flowers in the genus Solidago, known collectively as goldenrods are a favorite nectar source for a variety of butterflies including sulphurs, American snouts, red admirals, gorgone checkerspots and viceroys

12. Dogwood

Flowers of the dogwood tree attract spring azure and American snout butterflies. The leaves are also a host food for spring azure larva.

13. Poplar

Most often planted as a fast-growing shade tree, poplars are also a host food for white admiral, tiger swallowtail, mourning cloak, viceroy, and red-spotted purple butterfly larva.

14. Snapdragon

Plants of the genus Antirrhinum, collectively known as snapdragons are host food for the larva of the common buckeye.

15. Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea, the purple coneflower is a well-known herb for it’s immune-boosting and anti-depressant properties. It is also an attractant for the common wood-nymph butterfly.

16. Glasswort

These succulents of the genus Salicornia are host food plants for eastern pygmy blue butterfly larva.

17. Mustard

Not only great for harvesting its seeds and greens for culinary use, the mustard plant is also a favorite nectaring and host food for falcate orangetip butterflies and larva.

18. Passion Vine

Passiflora, also known as the passion vine sports large, exotic purple flowers that will spice up any garden. The foliage is also a host food for gulf fritillary and zebra longwing caterpillars.

19. Dogbane

Plants of the genus Apocynum – referred to as dogbane for its toxicity when ingested – are a nectaring source for little glassywings, mourning cloaks, sulphurs, monarchs, silver-spotted skippers, some species of swallowtail, painted ladies, American snout, and pearl crescent butterflies.

20. Hackberry

Deciduous trees of the genus Celtis, known as Hackberries are host food for hackberry emperor and tawny emperor butterfly larva.

21. Sunflower

In addition to providing sunflower seeds for human consumption, these summertime favorites provide nectar and host food for most species of checkerspot butterflies and larva.

22. Joe Pye Weed

These lovely flowering plants in the Asteraceae genus are a great nectaring source swallowtails and fritillaries.

23. Viburnum

A popular landscaping shrub due to its pleasant fragrance, viburnum will also attract Baltimore checkerspots and spring azure butterflies to your garden.

24. Burdock

Traditionally cultivated for the medicinal properties of its root, Burdock is a favorite host food for painted lady caterpillars.

25. Vetch

A flowering plant of the legume family, any of the over 100 species of vetch will attract American painted ladies, sulphurs, and zabulon skippers as both a nectaring and larva host food source.

26. Sassafras

Well-known for soda made from its bark, sassafras is also a food source for many species of wildlife including the spicebush swallowtail caterpillar.

27. Blueberry

These popular fruit-bearing bushes will bring both swallowtails and spring azure butterflies to your garden.

28. Black Walnut

Juglans nigera, the black walnut tree is host food for over 200 species of butterfly and moth larva including swallowtails, red-spotted purples, royal walnut moths and the elusive and exotic luna moth!

29. Stonecrop

The name given to a variety of low-growing succulents, stonecrop is a favorite nectaring plant for the red admiral butterfly.

30. Privet

Finally, to create privacy in your butterfly garden, try surrounding the space with privet. The flowers of this hedge-forming shrub are a favorite for many butterflies including skippers, painted ladies, swallowtails, and red-spotted purples.